Company debuts new sensor at DistribuTECH; Tollgrade Makes List of
Top 25 ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch’

DistribuTECH 2013

January 31, 2013 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(DistribuTECH) – Tollgrade
Communications Inc., a global leader in providing network assurance
solutions to the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications
providers, reports that its newly launched cellular sensors address many
of the smart grid issues being discussed at the DistribuTECH trade show,
held in San Diego through January 31. Tollgrade’s new sensors, a
cellular version of its industry-leading LightHouse
Medium Voltage (MV) distribution line sensors, help utility
companies improve asset management and increase reliability by analyzing
and digesting grid health data into meaningful and actionable
intelligence. Tollgrade is demonstrating the new cellular sensors at its
booth #3025 at DistribuTECH.

Tollgrade also announced that it has been named a top 25 semi-finalist
in the 2013 ‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch’ competition from Smart
Grid News – the only pure-play sensor company to make the cut. Votes
from readers will determine the 13 finalists for this year’s awards.

“Utilities are trying to move from calendar-based to condition-based
grid asset management, to optimize the efficiency and reliability of
their distribution network, and to do Big Data ‘the right way’ –
increasing visibility and actionable analytics,” said Erik Christian, VP
of Smart Grid for Tollgrade Communications. “Our new cellular sensors
are ideally suited to help. We’ve more than doubled our deployments in
the last 12 months. This, combined with the fact that Tollgrade is the
only dedicated sensor company in the Smart Grid News semi-finals for
‘Smart Grid Companies to Watch,’ speaks to our traction in the
marketplace.”

LightHouse sensors, including the new cellular sensors, sit in the
medium voltage distribution grid and provide critical metrics including
load current, fault current, electric field strength, power factor,
phase angle, sags, surges, wire temperature and harmonics. While the
high voltage grid has a number of sensors to manage grid assets, and the
low voltage grid has smart meters, the medium voltage grid has lacked
the visibility required for managing assets and providing predictive
analytics. Tollgrade’s LightHouse sensors fill this gap.

The LightHouse sensors enhance the reliability of the grid and are
inductively powered. Unlike battery-powered sensors that require
frequent replacement and can fail without warning, LightHouse is
maintenance-free and dependable. At the same time, the Tollgrade
distribution line sensors are still able to operate down to 3 Amps,
making them available to monitor sparsely populated areas of the grid.

The Tollgrade LightHouse Sensor Management System (SMS) software
consolidates circuit measurements, provides map-view displays of sensors
and events, and integrates to Data Historian, SCADA, OMS and DMS
systems. Within the software, customizable rules can be defined to alert
utilities to inefficient operating conditions, subtle system failures,
or indications of anomalous behavior that are early indicators of future
outages.

Demonstrations at DistribuTECH 2013

Tollgrade is demonstrating the LightHouse solution at its booth #3025 at
DistribuTECH. The company will build customized business cases for
utilities looking to purchase, demo or pilot the solution. Additionally,
LightHouse sensors are also available in the following partners’ booths
during the show: Echelon, Qualcomm and Sprint.

With a global footprint and over 25 years of experience providing
cutting-edge network assurance solutions, Tollgrade Communications Inc.
has built a reputation for improving the reliability and operational
efficiency at the world’s largest utilities and telecommunications
providers allowing operators to reduce customer down time and recover
lost revenue. In 2011, Tollgrade was acquired by Golden Gate Capital – a
San Francisco‐based private equity firm with more than $12 billion of
capital under their management. Tollgrade was recently named
semi-finalist in Smart Grid News Top 13 Smart Grid Companies of 2013.
Vote for Tollgrade at www.smartgridnews.com
or learn more about us at www.tollgrade.com